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Debate Worksheet: Strong and Weak Evidence

Debate lesson 3: Strong and weak evidence · Set 503 · 40 questions
TalentJR

Debater's tip (Relevant, specific, reliable): Relevant: does it talk about the topic of the motion? Specific: does it say exactly who, what, where or how many? “30 of 40 students” beats “lots of students”. Reliable: can we trust where it came from? Records, textbooks and official bodies beat rumours and unsigned posts.

NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
  1. 1.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a rumour forwarded in a chat group? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  2. 2.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  3. 3.True or false: measured results from our class experiment is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  4. 4.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a survey of 300 students in our school? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  5. 5.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on school gardens: “Cricket is popular in India.” (a) not reliable (b) not specific (c) not relevant
  6. 6.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: one friend’s guess? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  7. 7.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: an unsigned post with no source? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  8. 8.True or false: In a debate on saving water: “My favourite colour is green.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  9. 9.True or false: “Some people say it helps somehow.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  10. 10.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  11. 11.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the attendance register for the whole year? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  12. 12.True or false: one friend’s guess is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  13. 13.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on sports periods: “Mangoes grow in summer.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  14. 14.True or false: a rumour forwarded in a chat group is strong evidence. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: a story you are not sure about? (a) strong evidence (b) weak evidence
  16. 16.True or false: the school library’s record of books borrowed is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.🔎 Which source is most reliable in a debate on saving water? (a) a chat forward (b) a guess (c) an unsigned poster (d) the city water board
  18. 18.True or false: In a debate on homework: “Mount Everest is very tall.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False
  19. 19.🔎 Before using a number in a debate, you should… (a) round it to 100 (b) make it bigger (c) hide the source (d) check where it came from
  20. 20.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: “My cousin said so.”? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  21. 21.True or false: figures from the city water board is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  22. 22.True or false: “I think I dreamt it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  23. 23.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “I think I dreamt it.” (a) not relevant (b) not specific (c) not reliable
  24. 24.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: figures from the city water board? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  25. 25.🔎 A fact about cricket in a debate on school uniforms is… (a) very specific (b) very strong (c) not relevant
  26. 26.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: measured results from our class experiment? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  27. 27.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” (a) not specific (b) not reliable (c) not relevant
  28. 28.🔎 Which is more specific? (a) 30 of 40 students (b) lots of students
  29. 29.True or false: “Lots of students like it.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) False (b) True
  30. 30.🔎 Strong or weak evidence: the school library’s record of books borrowed? (a) weak evidence (b) strong evidence
  31. 31.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  32. 32.True or false: “Everybody knows it.” is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  33. 33.True or false: a story you are not sure about is weak evidence. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because it is not relevant to the topic. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.True or false: an unsigned post with no source is strong evidence. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.🔎 Why is this weak evidence? “A lot of water gets wasted somewhere.” (a) not specific (b) not relevant (c) not reliable
  37. 37.True or false: a survey of 300 students in our school is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: In a debate on reading: “Trains run on tracks.” — this is weak because its source is not reliable. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: a fact from our science textbook is weak evidence. (a) True (b) False
  40. 40.True or false: “Studies show things.” — this is weak because it is not specific (no who, what or how many). (a) True (b) False

Answer key

  1. weak evidence
  2. False
  3. True
  4. strong evidence
  5. not relevant
  6. weak evidence
  7. weak evidence
  8. False
  9. True
  10. not relevant
  11. strong evidence
  12. True
  13. not relevant
  14. False
  15. weak evidence
  16. True
  17. the city water board
  18. False
  19. check where it came from
  20. weak evidence
  21. False
  22. False
  23. not reliable
  24. strong evidence
  25. not relevant
  26. strong evidence
  27. not relevant
  28. 30 of 40 students
  29. True
  30. strong evidence
  31. True
  32. True
  33. True
  34. True
  35. False
  36. not specific
  37. False
  38. False
  39. False
  40. True

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